Shipping minister for talks on Chittagong port row

Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan has said veteran Awami Leaguer Mohiuddin Chowdhury should sit for talks instead of sparking agitations to ‘save’ the Chittagong port.

Chittagong bureaubdnews24.com
Published : 20 Sept 2014, 02:57 PM
Updated : 20 Sept 2014, 02:57 PM

Terming the three-time Chittagong mayor as his leader, Khan said, “ABM Mohiuddin gave us a 10-point charter of demands before. We discussed all those demands. But he couldn’t prove anything.

“He has come up with 10 demands again. Let us discuss this to avoid any agitation. This doesn’t have to go to the streets.”

Chowdhury’s ‘Port Protection Council’ has been in a movement against SAIF Power Tec who has the contract to operate Chittagong Container Terminal (CCT) and two berths of Enamouring Container Terminal (NCT).

He has held mass rallies and hunger strikes outside the port as part of his protest.

The minister was speaking at a Chittagong port organised programme at the city’s Chaktai area on Saturday.

“Those who are in a movement to save the port are doing the opposite of what they say. All this will affect the port’s image,” said Khan.

“Who told you that there was a mafia active in the port? Mafia men kill … they smuggle narcotics. My question is - are people murdered in the port, are drugs being smuggled through there? ”

Chowdhury has been claiming that the port was run being a mafia and termed SAIF Power Tec as ‘Pakistan’s agent'.

The shipping minister on the other hand claimed the port underwent massive development under Awami League governments and praised the port’s chairman for his various activities.

“The port’s reserve went up during out term. The workers are being given many perks.”

The programmes special guest Mayor M Monjur Alam said, “Water logging is a big problem. We have talked about it a lot … we are in politics. But we don’t talk about what others have done in the past 20 years.”

The dredging of Karnaphuli River was stopped, he said. “The Chittagong City Corporation has been working despite heavy limitations.”

Monjur, adviser to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, said, “Plenty of political remarks can be made. The city corporation dredged the city’s canals two years ago. But no one pays heed to anyone ... and I am like a step brother.”

BNP-backed M Monjur Alam won the election in 2013 when Awami League was in power.